Building With Someone Else’s Hands

WE’VE ALL BEEN IN THE POSITION OF OWING SOMEONE, WHETHER IT’S A FRIENDLY FAVOR BETWEEN PALS OR REPAYING A FAMILY MEMBER A FEW HUNDRED BUCKS AFTER A TIGHT MONTH. Being in debt isn’t usually the best place to be, but what are you gonna do? Sometimes relying on a helping hand is an absolute necessity, and that’s all there is to it. But what do you do when you find yourself in over your head, and the debt you owe is simply impossible to repay? We’re not talking about the kind of debt that sends you into hiding from a cartel or anything like that; we’re talking about the type that you face after someone has made a lifetime’s worth of truly selfless sacrifices for you without ever asking for a single thing in return. You can’t put a price tag on that kind of stuff, and even if you were to offer some token of your appreciation, the person you owe would gracefully decline and tell you not to worry about it. In times like these, it may take some real creativity to give back at least a fraction of what has been given to you, but the effort will surely not go unappreciated.

THE LODGE WAS HIS LEGACY, SO HE UNDERSTOOD WHAT IT MEANT TO TYLER TO START HIS OWN BUSINESS AND HE DIDN’T ONCE HESITATE TO DO EVERYTHING IN HIS POWER TO HELP HIS SON REACH HIS GOAL.”

Throughout the years, Bill Scarfe has tirelessly spent countless hours helping develop and launch HPI Customs, a high-end, full-service fabrication shop in Manitoba, Canada. Although the worth of his work getting the shop off of the ground was incalculable, the labor he invested didn’t go toward his own vision. It was his son Tyler who had the dream of operating an outfit capable of producing world-renowned and respected custom cars and trucks.

Bill’s life’s work has been running a resort, Jessica Lake Lodge, which he’s successfully done for the past 65 years. He put his all into his place both financially and personally. Bill sold a fleet of custom cars he owned to fund the lodge and keep his family fed through the ups and downs of the business. The lodge was his legacy, so he understood what it meant to Tyler to start his own business, and he didn’t once hesitate to do everything in his power to help his son reach his goal. Bill might not have considered his actions sacrifices, since he only wanted what was best for his family, but his grateful son saw nothing but selflessness, and he was determined to help make one of his dad’s dreams come to fruition as a repayment of sorts.

WE WOULD KILL TO HAVE ALL OF THOSE CARS BACK, BUT HE DID WHAT HE HAD TO DO AT THE TIME, AND WE CAN NOW TRULY APPRECIATE JUST HOW MUCH HE GAVE UP TO PROVIDE FOR US.”

“My dad is very much responsible for our growing success,” Tyler says. “From advice to mentoring to 3 a.m. thrashes on SEMA builds and giving up holidays to help transport and clean our show vehicles, he has been the driving force behind us, all while running his own business. He was never too busy or too tired to lend a hand, at least he never made it appear that way.” Even though Bill had given up his most prized automotive possessions to invest in the family business, his taste for customs never left him. Tyler is quick to share how awesome his dad’s collection once was. “We would kill to have all of those cars back, but he did what he had to do at the time, and we can now truly appreciate just how much he gave up to provide for us.”

About 10 years ago, Bill did buy himself a new toy, a ’52 Chevy pickup, his dream truck. He started gathering parts for it and was ready to build it into something special, more special than any other vehicle he had ever owned. The truck was going to be his last big hurrah, and he embraced the build like none other.

Bill’s family was glad to see him so excited about creating something for himself. With the shop up and running, and doing rather well, the resources were available to give the truck a good jumping off point. Unfortunately, an unforeseen force sidetracked Bill’s plans.

Tyler told us how everything played out: “Soon after my dad started to collect some now-outdated products for his hot rod hauler project, he suffered a heart attack and endured a triple bypass surgery, which would ultimately be the start of his health decline. He knew right away that he would not likely see his dream truck completed. Severe arthritis had crippled his ability to work on his truck with his own hands, and his budget for the truck was now being channeled towards paying for the injections that were keeping him mobile. It was tough to see him in that position.” Bill survived the ordeal, but he had come to grips with the fact that his truck build would go no further.

Bill might have given up on the project, but his family just couldn’t; after all, he helped them when they needed him most, and now it was their turn to step up to the plate for him. “Over the last two years, we slowly ‘stole’ all of my dad’s parts and pieces he had accumulated that make up his truck. Some of them were ‘needed for a customer’s build’ or ‘sold’ to help HPI accumulate new equipment. That’s what we told him, and he agreed to donate his parts each and every time.”

In reality, Bill’s parts were being smuggled right from under his nose to a secret workspace where his truck was steadily coming together. His family wanted to create a customized token of their appreciation for everything he had given them throughout the years. “The cab that is now on the truck isn’t the one my dad originally bought to build. We left that sitting at his place, so he wouldn’t pick up on what we were up to. The best part about it all is that he actually thought we were trailering a Roadrunner to debut at SEMA last year [2014]. When he got into town, he was presented with the truck at the grand unveiling.” The expression on Bill’s face, and his reaction to the surprise must have been rewarding for everybody who contributed to the truck’s creation. It’s not everyday that you get to hand deliver someone’s true slice of heaven on earth.

Tyler and his crew dubbed the truck “Vicarious” since they lived out Bill’s vision for it without his knowing. Bill’s ideas were followed carefully and taken beyond the realm of anything he ever imagined for his ol’ Chevy. Tyler admitted to us, “This truck has become incredibly special to us; of course, because it belongs to my dad, but I honestly feel that it is one of the nicest pieces we have ever produced. There are some truly unique design ideas that take it from a street rod-inspired build into the sphere of a modern Pro-touring rod—mainly the custom chassis, the Corvette C4 independent suspension, the hand-formed bed and wild supercharger setup. There is a lot more to it, but the truck has become such a great showpiece for everyone who jumped on board with us. And we can’t even begin to thank them for pitching in and giving us the opportunity to give back to the man responsible for our success.”

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TECH SPECS

OWNER

Bill Scarfe
HPI Customs
1952 Chevy 3100
Beausejour, Mannitoba, Canada

BUILDERS:

• HPI Customs engine, suspension, body
• Auto Resurrection paint and body
• Sew Fine Interiors interior and audio

ENGINE:

• 355-ci SBC V-8
• 600 hp/550 lbs-ft torque
• Chevy 4L85 Supermatic trans
• GMPP convertor
• Powertrain Control Solutions push-button shifter/paddle shifter
• Bear’s Performance Products chrome-moly driveshaft
• Eagle crankshaft and rods
• Comp Cams camshaft
• Scorpion rockers
• Melling oil pump
• Keith Black pistons
• Missing Link Machine CNC’d valve covers
• Holley EFI
• MSD ignition
• Edlebrock cylinder heads, water pump, throttle body, Pro-Flo XT intake manifold
• Powermaster alternator
• Eddie Motorsports serpentine system
• AFCO radiator and cooling fans
• Energy Suspension motor mounts
• HPI custom charge pipes
• Vortech V3 supercharger
• American Autowire wire harness
• Rick’s Tanks stainless steel gas tank
• Dynatech ceramic-coated headers
• Custom HPI 2.5-inch exhaust with Borla Pro XS mufflers

SUSPENSION:

• Front C4 Corvette IFS
• Speedway splined sway bar
• Custom cross member
• C4 aluminum spindles
• Independent Corvette C4 rear setup/AFCO coil-over converted
• AFCO Pro Touring control arms
• AFCO coil-overs
• Kore3 Z06 14.25-inch front and 14-inch read discs with master cylinder
• Hydratech braking system
• E-Stopp electric parking brake

WHEELS & TIRES:

• 18×8.5-inch and 19×10-inch Budnik Remmington powder- coated black
• 255/40R18 and 285/35R19 Nitto Invo

BODY & PAINT:

• Matrix Systems Subaru Tangerine Orange Pearl
• Matte customs color highlights
• One-piece windshield by Sew Fine Interiors
• Modern flush fit glass
• 2-inch body drop
• Custom one-piece Goldenleaf Automotive hood
• Customized stock Chevy grille
• Handmade HPI lower sheet metal front valance, roll pan with exhaust detail, modified fenders, running boards
• Hagan gas filler
• Chevy C/K bed sides modified and shaved
• Custom bead rolled inner bed
• Color matched Raptor bed liner
• Chevy HHR LED taillights
• Oracle LED halo lights with HID lighting
• Handmade firewall and floors, integrated harness bar, fully functioning custom tailgate
• KinDigit Design door handles, modified with proximity lighting and electronically actuated bear claw latches

INTERIOR:

• Pontiac Bonneville seats
• English tanned leather wrapped upholstery with rhino inserts
• ACC Desert Tan carpet
• Handmade sheet metal dashboard
• CNC-machined insert by Missing Link Machine
• Dakota Digital Custom VHX gauges
• Flaming River steering column
• Eddie Motorsports steering wheel
• Missing Link Machine handles and switches
• Impact Racing seat belts
• Vintage Air A/C
• Custom door panels by Sew Fine

STEREO:

• MB Quart GMR-1 head unit
• MB Quart 6.5-inch component and coaxial speakers
• MB Quart low-profile 8-inch sub
• MB Quart Reference Mykro five- channel amp
• NVX Audio wiring
• Optima Red Top
• Quiet Ride insulation

SPECIAL THANKS FROM THE OWNER: “There were over 40 companies behind building this truck, and none of it would have happened without their generous support and the amazing crew at Vortech Superchargers. Help poured in from our local supporting businesses as well. Missing Link Machine performed all the one-off CNC-machined pieces for the truck; Sew Fine Interiors knocked the interior out of the park; Auto Resurrection did the bodywork and paint; Kolors Autobody Supply lined up the paint products, and Central Sandblasting performed the powder-coating services.”

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